From Palmbeachpost.com : Pavano reveling in silent success

By Tom D’Angelo, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Tuesday, June 22, 2004

Each afternoon before a Marlins home game, Carl Pavano guides his black Toyota Sequoia out of his gated community in West Palm Beach for a one-hour commute to Pro Player Stadium.

Pavano eases the 53-mile drive on Florida’s Turnpike with some alternative or hip-hop music and moments of reflection.

He is a private person who enjoys his solitude and a tight circles of friends, including fellow Marlins pitchers Brad Penny and Josh Beckett. When Pavano isn’t hosting a barbecue, he’s fishing or playing golf, activities that allow him to escape the spotlight.

"He may come across as being (a jerk) to the public eye," said Shawn LaBonte of Jupiter, a childhood friend whom Pavano refers to as his cousin. "But he just wants his privacy. You’ve got to know him and understand who he is. He appreciates his space. It takes him a little while to loosen up and get comfortable."

Carl Anthony Pavano, a Connecticut native, is finding it more difficult to remain anonymous these days. The 6-foot-5 right-hander doesn’t have the Q ratings of Beckett or Dontrelle Willis, but he has better numbers on the mound.

Pavano is generating All-Star talk with a 7-2 record and 2.81 ERA entering tonight’s start against the Atlanta Braves. He has won a career-best four consecutive games and the Marlins are 11-2 when he takes the mound.

"To some people he might not look like he has the stuff to be the ace of your staff," pitching coach Wayne Rosenthal said. "But he has proven by his results that he is the ace. Our guys know he’s going into the seventh inning every time out there."

Pavano, 28, is the elder statesman of a rotation that includes Penny, Beckett, A.J. Burnett and Willis. But he’s the one without the blazing fastball, funky delivery or glossy résumé. Pavano’s claim to fame? He once was traded for Pedro Martinez.

The low-key profile and approach is what Pavano prefers.

"He’s got this slow walk, like he’s lazy," Rosenthal said. "But he just does his job."

But that aloofness can be misinterpreted.

"I guess I give off an aura that.... I’m not trying to be rude but I don’t really want to be bothered," Pavano said.

Golf and fishing offer relaxation

Pavano first agreed to be interviewed at his home, then changed his mind. No curveball intended, Pavano said, he really does want to be cooperative.

"I just want to relax on my day off," he said.

Pavano moved to the area in 1998 partly because of the year-round golf. He also was pitching for the Montreal Expos, who were then training in Palm Beach County, so Pavano had a short commute.

"It’s nice to go out there and get your mind off of everything," he said.

Said LaBonte: "Carl’s a big thinker. Sometimes we’re with him and he’s kind of in his own world."

Pavano has become a regular at area golf courses such as Abacoa, Ibis, Mirasol and Ironhorse and now he may be the best golfer on the Marlins’ roster with a drive consistently around 300 yards and scores in the mid- to high 80s (without ever taking a lesson).

Fishing? Pavano’s teammates are far less complimentary about his angling ability.

Pavano uses the three lakes behind his home as his oasis away from baseball. How he will pitch Chipper Jones with a man on first is the furthest thing from his mind. That’s something he and Rosenthal discuss (as they do each batter in that day’s lineup) while he is stretching in the outfield.

And on the days he is joined by Penny or Beckett or Mike Lowell or Matt Treanor or any other teammates, the zingers are flying faster than a Randy Johnson fastball.

"I hardly ever fish and I’m a better fisherman than Carl," Lowell said.

Said Beckett: "We try to teach him some stuff but he’s not visual enough."

Penny, the Roland Martin of the Marlins’ clubhouse, is merciless when it comes to baiting Pavano.

"Once we were on Lake Okeechobee and he kept setting the hook and he couldn’t understand," Penny said. "I caught 10 fish and he hadn’t caught any. He said, ’What’s going on?’ He was setting the hook on weeds."

Pavano smells something fishy.

"That’s what they said? Wow. I don’t know what constitutes a good fisherman. I know every time I go out there I catch fish. Sometimes the biggest, sometimes a lot, sometimes a couple."

Pavano happy with bachelor lifestyle

At home, Pavano is the consummate bachelor, entertaining friends on his off days and leaving the cooking, shopping and laundry to his housekeeper. He also is content about delaying any serious relationships until after his career.

"I came into it as a bachelor, I enjoy the life, doing my own thing," he said. "I don’t think this is the most stable environment to have a relationship. I’ve got plenty of time."

Pavano was uncomfortable in his most recent relationship, with actress Alyssa Milano. They were stalked by paparazzi and their every move was bound to show up on entertainment TV shows or magazines. The spotlight of dating a Hollywood celebrity made him uneasy and the two separated but remain friends.

"I’d rather stay under the radar," Pavano said.

That won’t be easy on the field. Pavano’s story is familiar — that of the late-blossoming pitcher. A comparable career might be that of Boston’s Curt Schilling, who, at age 27, was 18-22 before becoming an ace in Philadelphia.

Pavano was 27-37 entering last season, and finished 12-13. His current hot stretch actually started in August (4-1) and he continued in the post-season, where he was 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA, including one start in the World Series in which he pitched eight innings and allowed one earned run in Florida’s 4-3, 12-inning victory in Game 4.

"He has himself under control at all times," Marlins manager Jack McKeon said. "He’s not wasting pitches or trying to be tricky. He sticks with what’s getting the job done. That’s maturity."

Pavano could not have picked a better time to put it all together. He’s eligible for free agency at the end of the season and, depending on the rest of this year, could be in for a whopping raise, one the Marlins may or may not be able to afford.

"It crosses your mind, but immediately I just squash it," said Pavano, who is making $3.8 million this season. "It’s not good for your mentality. I’d love to come back here next year, this would be my first choice. I feel like I owe the ownership something because I’ve been with this ownership for six years and I’ve been through so many downs in the beginning."

From Sun-sentinel.com :

Good stats, carefree lifestyle put Pavano in the driver’s seat

By Juan C. Rodriguez Staff Writer Posted June 22 2004

Win or lose, shutout or shellacking, the drive time doesn’t change. It takes Carl Pavano about an hour in his black Toyota Sequoia to go from Pro Player Stadium to his West Palm Beach home.

During long homestands, he may crash at Josh Beckett or Brad Penny’s house for a few days to break up the commute. Yet for the most part this season, the drive has felt shorter than ever.

"Before I know it I’m home," Pavano said.

A few cell phone calls, a couple of tunes from the hip-hop and alternative stations programmed into his stereo and Pavano pulls into his driveway. That’s the sort of carefree existence that accompanies a team-best seven wins and 2.81 ERA.

Pavano hasn’t found much need to replay pitches with every odometer click. On the occasions when balls find the gaps and land over the fences, the commute can feel eternal.

"You can drive yourself nuts, constantly beating yourself up," Pavano said. "If you’re going through a lull in the season it’s probably on your mind a lot more because you’re trying to figure things out and may be pressing a little bit. You go through different times of the year where you think about it a lot. Sometimes you’re able to keep it off your mind."

His results haven’t produced any mental clutter. The Marlins are 11-2 in Pavano’s starts. A victory over the Braves tonight at Pro Player Stadium would be his fourth in a row and fifth in six outings. Over that span, he’s logged a 1.60 ERA and held opponents to a .177 batting average.

Since May 29, Marlins starters have totaled four victories. Pavano has accounted for three of them.

"It takes a certain amount of time for guys to put it all together," said Marlins manager Jack McKeon, who could have Pavano on his National League staff for the July 13 All-Star Game in Houston. "I see a lot of confidence, a lot of maturity and a consistency in his pitching. He has himself under control at all times."

And under the radar. He doesn’t mind being the least renowned of what arguably is the deepest starting staff in baseball. At 27, Pavano logged his first career 200-inning season and a personal-best 12 wins in 2003.

Shuttled between the rotation and the bullpen during the postseason, Pavano was brilliant, winning two Division Series games against the Giants in relief and posting a 1.40 ERA with 15 strikeouts through 191/3, including nine scoreless World Series innings.

Yet for the most part he can still function in anonymity around West Palm Beach, his hometown since 1998. He lives alone, but it’s hardly the typical bachelor life. Pavano employs a person who cleans and does the shopping weekly, but he rarely eats at home.

Rather than cook and have to immerse himself in dishwater drudgery, Pavano prefers to dine out. He frequents local seafood and sushi establishments and can still do it without feeling gawked at or getting mobbed.

"Sometimes they recognize me, but not really," Pavano said. "I guess I give off an aura that I’m not trying to be rude but I just really don’t want to be bothered."

That was all but impossible when actress Alyssa Milano was on his arm. Together since last offseason, the couple had an amicable breakup recently.

Though Pavano envisions a family life down the road, he’s not ready to devote any less time to fishing and golfing with teammates.

"I have five nieces and nephews and I have a blast with them," Pavano said. "I can see if I came into [baseball] with that kind of mindset, but I came into it as a bachelor and kind of enjoy the life, doing my own thing. I have a lot of different hobbies that take up a lot of time.

"I don’t think this is the most stable environment to have a relationship. Guys that do it, great, but I haven’t really mastered that part of it. I have plenty of time. I’m still young. I have time to make those steps."

For now, Pavano is happy making the commute alone, especially when it feels so short.